“Tear off the towel and get on your hands and knees in front of me. That will change my mood.”

“Is it always about sex with you?”

He lowered his head enough to stare deeply into her eyes. “I don’t want to talk. I want to mount you. Either leave or we will fight. You are weak.

It wouldn’t be fair since you have no strength or ability to defend yourself.” His hands on her arms slid lower to her elbows, the calloused pads of his thumbs caressing the sensitive skin on the inside, also touching the sides of her breasts. “I wouldn’t hurt you but I will manipulate your mood until you want to be mounted. I have done it before.

Go or accept your fate.”

Obsidian always had a way of keeping her off balance. He didn’t wait for her to answer.

“You are not a replacement for 46.” He made a hissing sound. “Do not insult yourself or me. I am not blinded by her memory. You are very appealing but you believe I am so baffled from my long sleep that I don’t know the difference? I am not a victim. I’m a survivor and I adapt. It’s what I do best.” His thumbs kept teasing her skin, making her very aware of his touch. “I want you despite your flaws. You lure me to you and you make my blood boil with need.”

She leaned closer to him, affected by his hoarse confession. It obviously wasn’t easy for him to admit. She’d had plenty of men hit on her before, their words much more polished and suave. Obsidian’s straightforwardness turned her on. He had no reason to lie to or fool her. It was a backhanded compliment but sincere.

“I took you facing me because I couldn’t pull away and wanted to see your eyes while I was inside you.” One hand slid higher to her bare shoulder, traced the line of it to her throat, where his knuckles explored. “You fascinate me.”

Alli forgot how to breathe for seconds as she swayed closer to him until she pressed against his chest, peering up into his dark eyes. He’d been sexy when he was sleeping, unpredictable when he woke, but he was undeniably irresistible when he let down his guard enough to drop the forceful exterior he projected.

“You scare me sometimes,” she admitted softly. “But right now all I want to do is kiss you.”

His head tilted slightly and lowered a tiny bit more. Alli released her towel and reached up, her hands cupping his face as her attention fixed on his jawline. She lifted on her tiptoe and hesitated before closing her eyes. She urged him closer until her mouth brushed his. He had full, generous lips that were amazingly soft for someone so dangerous, a fact she couldn’t ignore.

He didn’t deepen the kiss, instead just stood there immobile, breathing. She turned her face slightly to align their mouths perfectly and parted her lips just enough to get a taste of him when she ran the tip of her tongue along the seam of his. A deep groan rumbled from him that she felt against her chest and he moved then, both hands grabbing her ass. He lifted her right off her feet and tighter against his tall frame. She spread her thighs and wrapped her legs around his waist.

The towel ended up twisted between their bellies but she ignored it, waiting for him to respond to her kiss. He didn’t, instead allowed her to flounder. She pulled back and opened her eyes, peering at him at eye level since he’d made them even in height.

“What’s wrong? I thought you wanted me.”

“I do.” His hands tightened enough to firmly squeeze each ass cheek and he ground his hips against her pussy to allow her to feel his thick, hard cock as it rubbed against her through his sweatpants. He took a few steps and halted by the bed. “I’ll put you down. Get on your hands and knees.”

“You want to fuck me without kissing me first?” She wasn’t sure if she should be insulted or not. “Do I have bad breath? I brushed my teeth.”

He took a deep breath, her bare were breasts smashed against his chest, of which both of them were acutely aware. He admired the view. “I don’t know how,” he muttered so softly she barely heard him.

She was grateful he held her in his strong arms.

The ramifications of his confession reminded her of other hints he’d said about being limited with his sexual knowledge. He’d only taken his mate doggy style and now she learned he had never kissed her either.

The questions hit her again, so many, but mostly she wondered how long he’d been with 46. Months? Years? She used her hold on his face to urge him to look at her. Anger glinted from the dark depths when he held her gaze.

“You never kissed someone before?” It was tough to ask the question. She assessed his rugged features, verifying that he had to be at least in his thirties.

“No.” His voice came out gruff, his eyes crinkling at the corners, but not from humor.

She noticed the rising color in his cheeks. His skin was naturally tan but she didn’t miss the telling signs of embarrassment. It explained his foul mood. She didn’t need a degree in psychology to guess how it would rankle such a proud man as Obsidian to admit he wasn’t a master at something—anything.

“It’s okay. I could teach you if you want.” Excitement at the prospect made her eager to do just that. Maybe he had something against mouth intimacy or something. She’d dealt with a lot of people who had germ phobias. Some of them washed their hands a hundred times or avoided human contact. Treating them when they hated to be touched had made her job difficult at times but they had always calmed when she put on gloves and a face mask. “May I ask why? I mean, do you not like it?”

He dropped her. She bounced, startled from the fall, to the bed where she landed on her ass. He crouched down before her and glared. “My mate didn’t want my touch unless she was in need.”

“Need?”

“Heat.” He stood, spun away, and paced. “You say you are a doctor but you know nothing.” That statement caused him to pause long enough to snort at her with a disgusted glance. “She would need me sometimes. Grow aroused and allow me to mount her from behind.” He began to pace again.

The depiction of his life broke her heart. He’d been forced to live with a woman who had loved and wanted someone else. She’d only allowed Obsidian to touch her when she’d craved sex. Alli was familiar with the fact that some of the female New Species suffered symptoms from their altered DNA. They would go into mild heat, the ingrained urge to breed instilled in their genetics that manifested physical symptoms. They exhibited tenderness in their breasts, steadily increased arousal, and acute awareness of their male counterparts.

“She went into heat,” he grumbled. He paused.

“That’s what the technicians called it.”

“I get it.” It was a grim realization. “That’s the only time you two engaged in sex?”

He nodded sharply. “She only allowed me to taste her or mount her from behind. She didn’t want my touch otherwise.” He glared. “Go, Alli.

I no longer want you here.”

She glanced down to the front of his sweatpants. The stiff outline of his cock said otherwise.

She looked up. “We should talk more about this.”

He threw back his head and howled. The sound made her flinch and she dropped the towel and covered her ears. He spun and his fist plowed into the wall. She eased her palms away from her ears and heard the sound of pounding boots coming down the hallway at a run. She barely recovered the towel to hide her bare breasts before Jericho burst back into the room.

“Get her out of here,” Obsidian snarled. “I want her gone.” He refused to look at her as he stomped inside the bathroom and slammed the door.

Jericho cleared his throat. “You got your wish.

You’re free to go, Dr. Allison.”

Hot tears burned behind her eyelids when she closed her eyes.

“Dr. Allison? Let’s go. My back is turned. Put on something, grab your gear and you’re out of here. No way in hell are you staying. You’re in danger.”